| | Commercial timbers |
Nomenclature etc. SAPOTACEAE. Trade and local names: Asian bulletwood (GB); karikis (ID); bitis, elengi, mengkula, nyatoh batu (MY); betis, bansalagin, kabiki (PH); kaya (MM); sa koun, pji koun (LA); kun, kaeo phikun (TH). Not protected under CITES regulations.
Description based on 9 specimens. Tree. Geographic distribution: India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indomalesia, Australia.
General. Heartwood basically brown and red (heartwood dark reddish-brown with a violet hue); with streaks. Sapwood colour distinct from heartwood colour. Density 0.78–1.12 g/cm³.
Vessels. Wood diffuse porous. Vessels arranged in no specific pattern, in multiples, commonly in short (2–3 vessels) radial rows and in radial rows of 4 or more. Average tangential vessel diameter 80–100–120 µm. Average number of vessels/mm² (6–)20(–33). Perforation plates simple. Intervessel pits alternate, average diameter (vertical) 4–5 µm. Vessel-ray pits with distinct borders and with reduced borders or apparently simple, similar to intervessel pits and different from intervessel pits, rounded or angular and horizontal to vertical, of two distinct sizes or types in the same ray cell. Tyloses present, thinwalled and sclerotic.
Tracheids and fibres. Fibres of medium wall thickness to very thick-walled. Fibre pits mainly restricted to radial walls, simple to minutely bordered. Fibres non-septate.
Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma banded (parenchyma bands wavy). Axial parenchyma bands forming a reticulate pattern with rays. Bands fine. Axial parenchyma apotracheal. Apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse-in-aggregates. Axial parenchyma as strands. Average number of cells per strand: 4–8.
Rays. Rays 11–13 per tangential mm, multiseriate, 1–2 cells wide. Height of large rays up to 500 µm (some rays higher than 500 µm). Rays composed of two or more cell types (heterocellular). Heterocellular rays with square and upright cells restricted to marginal rows and procumbent, square and upright cells mixed throughout the ray, mostly 1 marginal row of upright or square cells and mostly 2–4 marginal rows of upright or square cells. Disjunctive ray parenchyma end walls distinct, or indistinct or absent.
Mineral inclusions. Crystals present or not observed (most specimens without crystals), prismatic, located in axial parenchyma cells. Crystal-containing axial parenchyma cells chambered. Number of crystals per cell or chamber one and more than one. Crystals in one cell or chamber of two distinct sizes. Silica present, as grains; in rays cells (silica occasionally also on axial parenchyma).
Physical and chemical tests. Heartwood not fluorescent. Water extract fluorescent (greenish); colour of water extract colourless to brown. Heartwood extractives leachable when in contact with water. Ethanol extract not fluorescent. Colour of ethanol extract colourless to brown. Froth test positive. Splinter burns to partial ash. Ash white to grey.
Illustrations. • Transverse section. • Tangential section. • Radial section. • Silica. silica grains (Si) in ray cells. Si. Si. Si.
The interactive key allows access to the character list, illustrations, full and partial descriptions, diagnostic descriptions, differences and similarities between taxa, lists of taxa exhibiting specified attributes, summaries of attributes within groups of taxa, and geographical distribution.
Cite this publication as: ‘Richter, H.G., and Dallwitz, M.J. 2000 onwards. Commercial timbers: descriptions, illustrations, identification, and information retrieval. In English, French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish. Version: 9th April 2019. delta-intkey.com’.
